San Fernando, Chile
Encyclopedia
San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central Chile
, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region
. Located close to the Tinguiririca River
(a tributary of the Rapel
) in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet (339 m) above sea level. Founded in 1742, it became the provincial capital in 1840.
s, thanks to its location at the heart of the country. The surrounding area yields wheat, forage crops, rice, legumes, and grapes. There is also a brand of Chilean wine
called San Fernando.
Both the Pan-American Highway
and Chile's main longitudinal railroad run through San Fernando.
San Fernando is located at the northern tip of Chile's Colchagua Valley. This region is popularly known as the heart of Chilean agriculture. Here you can find the "wine route" which will take visitors on a journey from San Fernando to Santa Cruz, visiting some of Chile's most traditional vineyards.
Some major attractions in and around San Fernando include Casa Silva, a hotel, vineyard, and winery. Hacienda Los Lingues, a traditional Chilean-style, colonial home of a hacienda "patron" or owner that has been turned into a hotel and restaurant. The hacienda offers horseback riding adventures into the precordillera of the Andes.
Most major producers of fresh fruit for export are located in and around San Fernando. These include: Frusan, Unifruti, and Agricola Panagro. Within the orchards and farms of the region one can find almost every type of fresh produce; from citrus to premium quality fresh cherries.
San Fernando is also the point of departure to begin a trip to "Las Termas Del Flaco" (The thermal baths of Flaco). Flaco can be reached by travelling east of ruta 5 on the road to Puente Negro. "Las Termas" the baths are open from mid-December to April and are located in an area famous for its large populations of Tricahues, a type of native parrot, and fossilized dinosaur footprints.
of the National Statistics Institute
, San Fernando spans an area of 2441.3 sqkm and has 63,732 inhabitants (31,157 men and 32,575 women). Of these, 51,136 (80.2%) lived in urban area
s and 12,596 (19.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 13.1% (7,364 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Juan Paulo Molina Contreras (PDC
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Fernando is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Mr. Ramón Barros (UDI) and Mr. Juan Carlos Latorre (PDC
) as part of the 35th electoral district, (together with San Fernando, Chimbarongo
, San Vicente, Peumo
, Pichidegua
and Las Cabras
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Andrés Chadwick Piñera (UDI) and Juan Pablo Letelier Morel (PS
) as part of the 9th senatorial constituency (O'Higgins Region).
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region
O'Higgins Region
The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....
. Located close to the Tinguiririca River
Tinguiririca River
Tinguiririca River is a river of Chile located in the O'Higgins Region. It rises in the Andes, at the confluence of the rivers Las Damas and Del Azufre. From its source, it flows northwest for about 56 km to the vicinity of the city of San Fernando. In this portion of its course, the river receives...
(a tributary of the Rapel
Rapel River
Rapel River is a river of Chile located in the O'Higgins Region. It begins at the confluence of the rivers Cachapoal and Tinguiririca in the area known as La Junta...
) in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet (339 m) above sea level. Founded in 1742, it became the provincial capital in 1840.
Culture
San Fernando is famous for its rodeoRodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s, thanks to its location at the heart of the country. The surrounding area yields wheat, forage crops, rice, legumes, and grapes. There is also a brand of Chilean wine
Chilean wine
Chilean wine is wine made in the South American country of Chile. The region has a long viticultural history for a New World wine region dating to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French...
called San Fernando.
Both the Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
and Chile's main longitudinal railroad run through San Fernando.
San Fernando is located at the northern tip of Chile's Colchagua Valley. This region is popularly known as the heart of Chilean agriculture. Here you can find the "wine route" which will take visitors on a journey from San Fernando to Santa Cruz, visiting some of Chile's most traditional vineyards.
Some major attractions in and around San Fernando include Casa Silva, a hotel, vineyard, and winery. Hacienda Los Lingues, a traditional Chilean-style, colonial home of a hacienda "patron" or owner that has been turned into a hotel and restaurant. The hacienda offers horseback riding adventures into the precordillera of the Andes.
Most major producers of fresh fruit for export are located in and around San Fernando. These include: Frusan, Unifruti, and Agricola Panagro. Within the orchards and farms of the region one can find almost every type of fresh produce; from citrus to premium quality fresh cherries.
San Fernando is also the point of departure to begin a trip to "Las Termas Del Flaco" (The thermal baths of Flaco). Flaco can be reached by travelling east of ruta 5 on the road to Puente Negro. "Las Termas" the baths are open from mid-December to April and are located in an area famous for its large populations of Tricahues, a type of native parrot, and fossilized dinosaur footprints.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, San Fernando spans an area of 2441.3 sqkm and has 63,732 inhabitants (31,157 men and 32,575 women). Of these, 51,136 (80.2%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 12,596 (19.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 13.1% (7,364 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, San Fernando is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Juan Paulo Molina Contreras (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Fernando is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Mr. Ramón Barros (UDI) and Mr. Juan Carlos Latorre (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) as part of the 35th electoral district, (together with San Fernando, Chimbarongo
Chimbarongo
Chimbarongo, Chile, is a city and commune located south of Santiago in the Colchagua Province of the O'Higgins Region. Many of the people of Chimbarongo make their living weaving wickerwork, or "mimbre", baskets.-Demographics:...
, San Vicente, Peumo
Peumo
Peumo is a Chilean city and commune in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region. It is believed that Peumo was named for the vast amount of Cryptocarya alba, or Peumo trees, that grow there.-Demographics:...
, Pichidegua
Pichidegua
Pichidegua is a Chilean commune and town in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Pichidegua spans an area of and has 17,756 inhabitants . Of these, 4,965 lived in urban areas and 12,791 in rural areas...
and Las Cabras
Las Cabras
Las Cabras is a Chilean commune and city in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Las Cabras spans an area of and has 20,242 inhabitants . Of these, 7,548 lived in urban areas and 12,694 in rural areas...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Andrés Chadwick Piñera (UDI) and Juan Pablo Letelier Morel (PS
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
) as part of the 9th senatorial constituency (O'Higgins Region).
Sister Cities of San Fernando
San Pedro de AtacamaSan Pedro de AtacamaSan Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P...
Río de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...